


Truth or Dare

by massomagic



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Boyfriends, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-01-22 17:43:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/massomagic/pseuds/massomagic
Summary: What starts as a harmless game of truth or dare between the college-age Losers turns into a rollercoaster of a journey between Eddie and Richie. They laugh, they cry, they argue (a lot). Just another college AU for all of us Reddie shippers.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 20
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie started the night swearing he wasn't going to drink more than a cup of the fruity concoction that Bev had made, but two hours later he had lost track of what number he was on. All he knew was that the room was warm and a little blurry and everything was moving a lot more than it should. He reached out to grab the mass in front of him to steady himself.

"Ow, what was that for?" Richie's face swam into a blurry sort of focus and Eddie realized he had accidentally smacked the boy's face.

"Whoopsies. Didn't mean to do that. You're just _moving _so much." His sentence trailed off into giggles and Richie's face lit up with amusement. 

"Alright everyone, Eddie is officially smashed," he announced, drawing the attention of the other Losers scattered throughout the room. They let out various cheers while Eddie attempted to look affronted.

"Excuse me, sir," Eddie poked Richie in the chest. "I am not drunk." He hiccuped as he said this and spilt some of his drink down the front of his shirt, causing the room to erupt into laughter. Eddie smiled with them, his eyes squinting almost all of the way shut. "Okay, okay." He said, "Maybe I am the smallest, teensiest bit drunk." He hiccuped again. 

Bev sat up in her bed. "Well, I'm not. And I want to be on Eddie's level right now, so let's play some games."

Richie, Mike, and Bill immediately voiced their approval. Stan and Ben were quickly coerced, though Stan said he would only play if he got to pick the game.

"Let's play truth or dare." Stan said, and Richie whistled.

"Stanny boy, who are you tonight?" 

Stan shot Richie a look, part amused and part...diabolical? He raised his glass as an invitation to Richie.

"C'mon, Trashmouth. Are you in or not?"

Richie rolled his eyes. "You already know I'm in."

"Everyone else?" They all made various sounds of approval, even Eddie, who had now sunk down so he was sprawled across Richie's lap on the futon they were sharing. Richie had taken his cup away and set in on Bev's desk, and was now trying to convince Eddie to drink some water. Bill cleared his throat.

"Alright S-s-stan. You picked the game so you have to go f-first. Truth or dare?"

Stan hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying dare, sounding much less confident than he did two minutes ago.

Bill smirked. "I dare you to lick Richie's foot."

Stan blanched. "Oh hell no."

The room erupted in laughter. Stan continued to refuse, especially when Richie took off his sock and tried waving his bare foot in Stan's face. After a few torturous minutes of everyone trying to force Stan to do it, he finally convinced them to be merciful. Stan opted instead to chug the rest of his drink, wincing at the sharp liquid sliding down his throat.

"Shouldn't have picked a game you can't keep up with," Richie teased and Stan shot a glare in his direction, but didn't say anything else. 

Throughout the next half hour, Ben had to run down the hallway in his underwear, Eddie admitted that he had sent naked pictures to a guy he met online, Bev had to prank call her aunt, and Mike had to do a body shot off of Bill. The Losers were all sufficiently drunk and giggly.

It was Richie's turn, now, and before anyone could even ask, Richie said, "Dare, obviously."

Stan thought for a couple of seconds, then with a smirk on his face said, "I dare you to kiss Eddie."

Bev spit out some of her drink and clapped her hands in delight. Bill and Mike began a chant of "Do it, do it, do it." Richie watched everyone's reactions, seeming thoroughly shocked at first, though he quickly shifted into cool amusement.

"C'mon Stan, Eddie is so far gone I think that would be taking advantage of the poor guy." Richie said cooly.

Eddie, who had been uncharacteristically quiet in his drunken state, popped up from laying across Richie's lap. "Oh please, Tozier. You just couldn't handle all this man." Eddie circled his face with his finger, his eyes still slightly glazed from the amount he had drank earlier.

Richie looked around the room, but only saw the anticipating smiles from his friends. After turning back to Eddie, he saw the small boy making kissy noises at him, eliciting a laugh from the others. Richie barked out a laugh of his own and shook his head slightly.

"Alright Eds, if you say so."

Richie leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to Eddie's lips while the rest of the room gasped. The kiss lasted a mere second, just a quick peck before Richie pulled away. It was sweet and soft and over before it even began. He was smiling as he opened his eyes. 

Eddie stayed where he was a moment, his lips still puckered. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked suspiciously at Richie. 

"You call that a kiss?" 

Richie shoved him playfully while the rest of the room broke out into more laughter. Eddie laughed too, then settled back into the futon, leaning against Richie as he watched his friends continue to laugh and joke. After a few rounds, all of which included laugh-inducing dares and interesting revelations, the Losers were at the point where falling asleep was almost inevitable. Ben had passed out with his head on Bev's lap, and Mike kept nodding off into his own hands. Eddie was too tired to even keep his eyes open, and he rested his drooping head on Richie's shoulder. Stan and Bill giggled in murmured tones in the corner, and as Richie took note of all of his friends, he felt a warm burst of love fill him. These were the people who had been through the best times and the worst times with him, and sometimes he couldn't even believe that they were all real. Richie looked down at Eddie on his shoulder and rolled his eyes, though the warm burst of love grow even more prominent in his chest.

"Eddie," Richie shook him slightly, "It's probably time to go to bed."

"But 'm comfy." He mumbled.

"Well, I want my shoulder back so up you go."

Eddie huffed in annoyance, but stood up, stumbling slightly until he grabbed onto Bev's bed post. 

"Night Losers, I'm gonna walk Eddie back." Richie said, and everyone still awake mumbled their "goodnights" in return. All except for Eddie, who scoffed.

"I'm perfectly fine, you don't have to watch me like a child." 

"Oh, you're not a child?" Richie teased, "Then why are you still so small?"

Eddie's voice grew fiery, his face flushing red. "I'm not even that short, asshole. Just cause you're a tall, lanky fuck doesn't mean I'm weirdly small." 

Richie laughed, which only served to make Eddie madder. "Fuck you," he said, then he turned to say goodnight to everyone before storming out of the room. Well, it would have been storming if he would have been more sober. In this case, it was more of a stumble out and Richie quickly caught up to him. They walked in silence for a few seconds, until Eddie tripped on the carpet and fell to the floor. Both boys stared at each other in shock for a moment, then broke into hysterical laughter.

By the time the pair made it to Eddie's room they were still laughing. Richie followed Eddie inside the room, going on and on about how stupid Eddie's face had looked and _oh my god, _why couldn't they have gotten that on camera?

Richie moved to Ben's side of the room, leaning against the bed as he watched Eddie crawl into his own. They didn't speak for awhile, Richie just watching in amusement as Eddie struggled to pull off his shoes and socks.

"You sure you'll be okay? I can stay here tonight if you want." Richie offered.

"Richie, 'm fiiiiine. Stop worrying." But when Eddie finally laid down and closed his eyes, the room started to spin and he groaned out loud. Richie opened his mouth to speak, but Eddie quickly cut him off. "Shut up. I'm fine."

Richie just laughed lightly and stood up. "Alright Eddie-bear, at least let me tuck you in." Richie walked over and jammed his hands on both sides of Eddie, pushing the blanket around him tightly and poking at his ticklish sides in the process. Eddie laughed and tried to shove Richie away, though in his inebriated state he had very little success.

"Get off me you weirdo," Eddie choked out between laughs. Richie finally stopped, letting his hands fall to the bed so he was leaning over Eddie's head. The pair didn't say anything for awhile, as Eddie shut his eyes and pulled up his covers. For a moment, Richie thought he might have passed out, till Eddie quietly mumbled, "I can't believe you kissed me."

Richie chuckled. "Was it all you ever hoped for?"

Eddie's eyes were still closed, and without a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Mm, I wish it would have been longer."

Richie's mouth dropped open in shock. _What?_

"Eddie, what?"

Eddie had flipped over onto his side and curled up. His voice was so soft and sleepy, Richie could barely make out what he was saying. 

"I wonder what it would be like to kiss you longer, a real kiss." Eddie mumbled.

Richie's mind had simultaneously stopped and was moving unbearably fast. "Are you joking right now?" He couldn't even begin to process the emotions coursing through his body.

Eddie didn't respond, so Richie asked again, putting his hand on Eddie's shoulder. "Eddie, are you kidding?"

But the only sound that came from the small boy was a soft snore, as he curled up around himself. Richie stared, his mouth still ajar at the boy beneath him. When Eddie showed no signs of waking up, Richie shut off the bedroom light and crept out of the room. He walked to his own room down the hall in a daze. When he got inside, he saw that Mike was already in bed and asleep. Richie thought about waking him, just to make sure that the world had not gone completely insane, but he brushed the thought off, not knowing what he would even begin to say. After getting ready for bed and curing up on his too-small mattress, Richie tried everything he could to not think about the boy that was sleeping on the other end of the hallway. But even in sleep Richie was restless, and he couldn't get Eddie's voice out of his head, the boy flitting into all of his dreams. 


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie woke up the next morning and groaned. He felt _awful_. 

The fact that he hadn't brushed his teeth before falling asleep was a particular trial on his heart, and though his body begged him to stay in bed and never move again, Eddie dragged himself to the bathroom. The bright lights instantly triggered a headache, and Eddie stared at his pale face in the mirror, vowing to never, ever, _ever _drink that much again. As he scrubbed his teeth with a vigor that was borderline painful, Eddie slowly began to remember the night before: drinking with everyone, playing truth or dare, Richie kissing him. Richie kissing him? Had that really happened? And then - _oh god _\- what had he said to Richie in his bedroom? That was a dream, right?

_Oh god. _

Eddie smacked his head into his hands. He tried to do his breathing exercises to calm himself down, but they had little to no effect on his rising panic. How could he have been so _stupid_. Richie was going to think he was insane. Or he was going to hate him and never talk to him again. Or worst of all, he would use the previous night as material for a whole new slough of jokes that Eddie knew he couldn't handle. "Shit," Eddie mumbled to himself. This was _terrible_.

Of course, Eddie could always play it off as a joke himself. He could tell Richie he was drunk and being dumb. Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, sober Eddie would have never said that. It was just the alcohol talking. 

The annoying voice in his head that Eddie tried so hard to get rid of came forth suddenly and forcefully. _Drunk __words speak sober thoughts_. 

Eddie shook his head like he could shake the voice away. No, he thought. _No. _

Eddie had just been drunk and was making jokes and that was _it_. He took a deep, steadying breath. 

In a series of unfortunate events, the man of the hour walked through the bathroom doors, and Eddie's mouth dropped open at the unfairness of it all. Richie looked just as tired as Eddie did, if not worse, and his floppy curls stuck up in a mess that was both laughable and strangely endearing. When Richie noticed Eddie at the far sink, he walked over, and Eddie quickly averted his gaze.

"Hey Eds, feeling rough today?" Eddie overanalyzed every syllable of Richie's speech, looking for a sign of hesitation, of strangeness. 

"Um, yeah," Eddie said slowly. "I feel god awful. I'm never drinking again."

Richie laughed. "That's what you said last time, too."

Eddie chuckled in spite of everything, and for a moment he genuinely felt better. Maybe he had overreacted.

But just as Eddie was grabbing his things to leave the bathroom, Richie touched him lightly on the arm. Eddie pulled back as if he had been burned, and he hated the way Richie's forehead creased in disappointment. 

"Wait, Eddie, I -" Richie struggled for words and Eddie wished he could just disappear. "I wanted to ask how much you remember of last night?" He tried to play it casually, but Eddie could hear the real question behind Richie's calm voice. Eddie's face flushed red.

"Honestly, I was so drunk, I really don't remember much." Eddie lied.

"Do you remember playing truth or dare?" Richie asked.

"Yes."

"And we kissed. During the game."

Eddie sucked in a breath. "Yeah, I remember."

"And after, I walked you back, and - and you said some things." Richie looked conflicted, like he wasn't sure of himself.

"Yeah, Richie, and?" Eddie wondered if Richie could hear the shake in his voice. He hoped not. God, he hoped not. "I was so drunk, it was probably a joke. Whatever I said." 

Eddie tried to make an escape then, grabbing up his things and rushing out the door before Richie could figure out what to say next. All Eddie had to do was get to his room and lock the door and hide away forever. He made it a couple steps outside of his door before he felt Richie catch up behind him and tug on his arm.

"Wait, Eddie, I wasn't -"

"What?" Eddie snapped harshly. Richie looked shocked at the malice in the small boy's voice. But his shock quickly turned into resolve.

"You said you wanted to kiss me. You said you wanted a real kiss."

It was like the air had been sucked out of the hallway. Hearing the words come out of Richie's mouth was worse than Eddie expected. Embarrassment grew like a fire inside of Eddie's chest to the point that it was almost physically painful. He wondered how he was supposed to keep acting like everything was normal when inside his body was a raging hurricane of emotions.

"Oh, well," Eddie tried to force a laugh even though this whole conversation was one of the least funny things he had experienced. "That's obviously a joke. How dumb, right?"

Richie just stared. "A joke?"

"Obviously."

Both boys looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. Finally just as Eddie thought he might combust from the tension, Richie looked at the ground and mumbled quietly,

"It didn't seem like a joke." Eddie could hear embarrassment in Richie's voice and it was this that caused Eddie to snap.

"Obviously it was a joke Richie," Eddie fumed with anger. "What did you think? I was secretly pining after you?"

"No, Eddie, I-"

"Did you assume I was just dying to get a kiss from the amazing Richie Tozier? That I just couldn't help myself? You're seriously not that great, so you can get over yourself." The words were harsh, even for Eddie, and real hurt crossed Richie's face, though it quickly turned into anger.

"You don't have to be a dick."

"I'm not, you just won't _shut up _about whatever drunk, stupid thing I said!"

"Fine, asshole. Whatever, I don't give a fuck about what you said." Richie glared at Eddie.

"Good." Eddie glared back for a moment, then he stormed into his room before Richie could say anything else. He slammed the door louder than he needed to, but it felt good. Eddie sighed in relief when he heard the door lock, but as he listened to Richie's footsteps walk away, tears pricked in his eyes. 

"Fuck," Eddie said out loud, to no one in particular. He felt like he was seconds away from exploding, or crying, or screaming, or all of the above. His head hurt worse than ever, but he ignored the industrial sized ibuprofen container sitting on his desk. Eddie wanted to hurt, and he wanted to sleep, and he wanted the last 24 hours to disappear. He crawled into bed.

_Stupid Richie. Stupid, stupid Richie._ Eddie repeated it like a mantra, like a lullaby. It didn't make him feel better in the slightest.

**************

By the end of the weekend, several of the Losers had tried to figure out what was up between Richie and Eddie, but every time someone asked, Eddie would immediately change the subject. Finally, Bill put his foot down on Sunday night when he and Eddie were together in the library studying for their Stats test. 

"Eddie, s-s-stop saying everything's f-fine. Clearly it's not."

"We got in a fight, Bill. What do you want me to say? It was dumb." 

"Well, if it's so dumb, go make up. I'm sick of seeing you to just m-moping around."

Eddie rolled his eyes, but he knew he would listen to Bill. If he was being honest, he missed Richie a lot. Even though it had only been two days, there had been countless moments when Eddie wanted to reach out to Richie over a stupid joke or something funny he saw. Plus, Eddie hated how he felt whenever they really fought; it left a sour feeling in his stomach, like he was getting sick.

Swallowing his pride, Eddie packed up his things and walked back to his dorm. He bypassed his own room to head to Mike and Richie's. After hesitating a moment, he took a deep breath and forced himself to bring his fist up to knock on the door. Immediately, Eddie heard shuffling in the room, and a quick burst of nervousness shot through his body. A second later, Mike opened the door.

"Hey, Mike. Is Richie here?" Eddie asked, though he could already see Richie laying on his bed, scrolling through his phone. 

"Yeah, Eddie," Mike looked uncomfortably. "I'll just give you two some space for awhile." Eddie felt regret rush through him.

"No! I can come back later, you don't have to leave."

"No, seriously. It's okay." Mike was already walking out the door. He leaned into Eddie's ear and whispered, "Please make up. Richie's been a nightmare to live with."

Richie huffed from his bed. "Hey, I heard that!"

But Mike just smiled apologetically, gave Eddie a hard stare, then made his way towards the stairs at the end of the hall. Before he could chicken out, Eddie stepped into the room, the door shutting behind him. Instantly the tension between the boys became palpable. Richie continued to scroll through his phone, ignoring Eddie's presence completely.

Eddie's hands twisted together and he uncomfortably shifted on his feet. "Um, hi?"

Richie didn't even blink.

Eddie took a another deep breath and forced out the words that he had been practicing in his head on his walk from the library. "Okay, you don't have to talk to me. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. Really. What I said yesterday was shitty, and you didn't deserve that." 

Eddie knew apologizing was the right thing to do, the only thing to do, really. But he'd be lying if he said he enjoyed having to be the one to say he was sorry. He kept rambling on as Richie made no indication that he heard anything Eddie was saying. 

"I know I was an asshole, okay? But I hope you can forgive me because when we don't talk I get kind of..." Bored? Sad? Frustrated? Miserable? Eddie trailed off as he searched for a way to put how he was feeling into words. He noticed that Richie had finally looked at him and was nodding slightly.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Richie said simply. There was silence in the room for a moment, but it was less painful than before. 

Eddie didn't know what else to say, so he waited for Richie to say or do anything. After a thick couple of seconds, Richie caved. "I'm sorry too, Eds." He breathed out.

Eddie hadn't been expecting that. "For what?"

Richie paused for a moment, then laughed, a sheepish smile settling on his face. "I don't know, I just felt like since you were apologizing, I should, too."

Eddie laughed, too, and the feeling of laughing with Richie made him feel instantly lighter. "You're so annoying," Eddie said with a smile.

"Hmm, can you go back to apologizing? I miss 'Nice' Eddie already."

Eddie rolled his eyes in response. "Move over loser," he said, hopping onto the end of Richie's bed. Richie immediately made room for Eddie, so he knew all was forgiven. All of the awkwardness was gone, and Richie quickly launched into several stories as Eddie settled back into his spot on Richie's bed.

"Thank god we're friends again cause I saw the stupidest thing in the Student Union this morning and I _have _to tell you all about it." 

Eddie listened contentedly, feeling better than he had in days. 

When Mike came back later that night, he smiled when he saw the two boys sitting together. Eddie thought he heard Mike say "thank god," but Eddie was so absorbed in trying to beat Richie in their video game that he barely heard a thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has left a Kudos or a comment! I'm glad people are enjoying the story so far. There should be another chapter up tomorrow, and hold your breath cause it'll be spicy ;).


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If NSFW writing isn't your thing, you should definitely skip the beginning of this chapter. It's nothing too bad yet, just an intro.

Richie dragged his lips down Eddie's neck slowly, sucking harshly as he went. Eddie let out a low groan and he felt Richie's lips smile against his skin. Eddie was currently shirtless beneath the other boy's tall, lanky body. All Eddie could see, think, feel was _Richie; _it was a complete sensory overload.

Richie's hand trailed teasingly down Eddie's stomach as his mouth assault continued. When Richie reached the bulge in Eddie's underwear, Eddie gasped out loud, his hips shifting up to press further into Richie's hand.

"Please," Eddie whined. Richie began to rub slowly and torturously.

"What do you want, Eddie?"

"I-I-" Eddie's eyes rolled to the back of his head when Richie palmed him harder through his briefs. God, he could come just from this. 

"C'mon Eds, what do you want?"

Richie's mouth began to follow the trail down Eddie's stomach and Eddie could hardly breathe, he was so overwhelmed with pleasure. Eddie might have been embarrassed at how hard he was already, how close he was already, but he couldn't stop the desperation from overwhelming him and clouding his senses. He rolled his hips up into Richie over and over again, searching for relief. Eddie threw his head back in a loud moan when Richie suddenly bit down sharply on his inner thigh.

"_Fuck, _Richie."

Richie smiled devilishly.

"Do you want my mouth?"

"Please, Richie, please." Eddie gasped. He wanted everything, all of it, all of _Richie._

But Richie stopped right over Eddie's skin, looking up at the boy beneath him with hooded eyes.

"You have to say what you want, Eddie."

"I want- I want"

"You have to say it..."

"Eddie."

"Eddie?"

_What?_

Eddie opened his eyes with a gasp to see Ben standing over him, a worried look on his face. 

"Eddie, you okay? You sounded like you were having a nightmare." 

Eddie stared confusedly for a moment, looking from Ben's face to the rest of the room, trying to get his bearings. 

"Oh, um, yeah. Nightmare." Eddie said slowly. Inside, his mind ran rampant. What the _hell_ had thatdream been about?

"Wanna talk about it?" Ben offered.

"No!" Eddie replied so hastily, Ben pulled away from him, shocked. Eddie took a deep breath and back tracked. "I mean...no. Thank you, though." He tried to look sincere, but he couldn't get over the horror of having to explain to Ben the images that were still dancing around his mind.

Ben didn't look completely appeased, but he nodded anyways. 

"Okay. I'm always here if you want to talk." Eddie smiled appreciatively, trying to act normal. When Ben left the room, though, Eddie immediately groaned out loud. He smacked his hands to his head, trying to push out the remnants of memory from his dream. Though this wasn't the first time Eddie had a dream about Richie like this, it was certainly one of the most intense. And the dreams had been getting more and more frequent, causing Eddie a frustration unlike anything he had ever known.

I mean, this was _Richie_. His best friend since child hood. How could he possibly justify his thoughts? 

And the most frustrating thing was that no matter how much Eddie denied the feelings when he was awake, he couldn't control his dreams at night. Crawling out of bed more exhausted than when he fell asleep, Eddie trudged to the showers to take another cold shower.

*****

Eddie tried to act normal around Richie that night as all the Losers gathered together for dinner in the dining hall. He really tried. It was just that every time he saw the boy he was transported back to his dream, the kisses, the teasing, the way he rubbed Eddie, Richie's _lips_. 

_Stop_. He needed to stop.

Eddie had successfully avoided Richie throughout the day, skipping their usual lunch rendezvous and spending all his free time locked in his dorm room under the pretense of needing to work on a big project. But the Losers always got dinner together, so Eddie begrudgingly went so as not to raise any alarms. He had resolved to look at Richie as little as possible, though this was proving difficult as Richie had a habit of constantly calling attention to himself. 

"Eds, watch this." Richie whispered after kicking Eddie's leg under the table.

He finally let himself look as he watched Richie pour salt into Stan's water every time the boy wasn't looking. Eddie felt his usual instinct to call Richie out, but he stayed quiet, letting the prank play out until Stan took a sip of his drink and immediately spit it all over the table.

"What the fuck, Richie?" Stan coughed and grabbed a napkin, dabbing it on his tongue to try to get the taste away.

"What? Why do you assume it was me?" Richie tried to act innocent.

Stan didn't even bother answering, he just sent a dark glare in Richie's direction and vowed never to sit by him ever again. 

Eddie laughed along with everyone else, but even he could tell he sounded off. It sounded too high pitched, like he was hiding something. Which, of course, he _was. _He wondered if Richie's lingering gaze on him meant that the boy had caught onto Eddie's discomfort. Richie looked ready to say something to Eddie, when a pretty brunette girl bounced over to their table and plopped her hand on Richie's shoulder.

"Hi Richie," she said. Eddie's gaze became decidedly fixed on the girl's hand, which was now running down Richie's arm.

"Hey," Richie said with a smile. "Everyone, this is Anna." There were pleasantries exchanged around the table, but the friends quickly got back to their individual conversations. Only Eddie continued to stare at the girl, who was now whispering something into Richie's ear. Eddie's grip tightened on his spoon when he saw her laugh at whatever Richie said back to her. After a few minutes, she said goodbye to Richie, then walked back to join her own friends at a tall table in the corner. Eddie watched Richie watch her walk away.

"She wants me so bad," Richie finally said when the girl was out of earshot. Bev laughed.

"Jeez, Rich. How'd you trick the poor girl into giving you the time of day?"

Richie looked affronted. "I happen to be the total package, Beverly," he said. "And by package, I really do mean - " 

"Shut up, Richie." Stan interjected.

"Oh Stanny, don't be jealous just cause I've been getting some while you've been stuck using your hand under the covers late at night once Bill has fallen asleep."

"Richie!" Stan looked scandalized. "Don't be so crass."

Ben piped up from the end of the table, a frown etched on his face. "She seems nice, Richie. Don't be a jerk to her."

"Guys, what? I would never." Richie looked genuinely offended now. "She was just looking up for a hookup to make her ex jealous so I've been stepping in and providing my services."

"Oh so _she's _using _you,_" Bev laughed. "That actually does seem more accurate."

The whole table laughed, except for Eddie, who was looking down at his plate of food that he had just been pushing around for the past ten minutes. 

"Well I'm not complaining. She can use me all she wants," Richie said suggestively. "She can use me over and over and over-"

Mike sighed. "Beep, beep Richie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is kind of short. The next chapter update will be at the end of this week and it will be really long! Thanks for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

The next Friday, Bev announced that she wanted to go out to the bars for a night out. Eddie immediately protested, but Bev whipped out her puppy dog eyes.

"Please, I really want to dance." She hung on Eddie's arm and forced him to look at her. "And I want all of us to be together and having fun."

Eddie wasn't really in the mood. He hadn't been sleeping well, partly because of the recurring dreams and partly because of the emotional effort of pushing Richie out of his mind. Eddie wanted to just curl up in his room and go to bed, but he also wanted the distraction of hanging out with his friends. Conflicted, he thought about just using homework as an easy excuse, though in truth he had finished everything he needed for the next week already. 

"C'mon, Eddie, don't be a stick in the mud." Richie said, not looking up from his phone.

"I am not a 'stick in the mud'," Eddie spat back. Sometimes he forgot how straight up _irritating _Richie could be.

"Oh please, you probably just want to stay in and do homework." Richie rolled his eyes.

Eddie hoped no one noticed his blush of embarrassment at hearing how close Richie was to guessing the truth. He wondered, not for the first time, if Richie could somehow read his mind. 

"Shut up, asshole. I just thought it would be fun to stay in and hang out, but fine." Eddie refused to be labeled as a stick in the mud. _Especially_ by Richie. Though he wasn't entirely up for a night out, he agreed to go.

\--

2 hours later, the seven friends walked into the popular student bar a block off campus. It was already almost filled, despite the fact that it was only 11 p.m. Bev immediately squealed in delight and shot to the dance floor, Ben in tow behind her walking a bit more hesitantly, but with a smile on his face. Stan and Bill walked over to the bar to grab drinks, leaving the few remaining to get a table. 

"Let's go dance," Richie shouted over the loud music once they snagged a corner booth, but Eddie quickly shook his head. He was definitely not drunk enough for that yet.

"You go on, I'll catch up with you later."

Richie just shrugged and walked towards the middle of the bar. Eddie watched him go, ignoring the bubble of regret in his stomach.

Mike and Eddie settled into an easy conversation, despite having to yell over the music, until Stan and Bill returned. Eddie picked up one of the cups from the table and took a sip, grimacing slightly. It was plain beer. Not great, but it would get the job done.

While he listened to the others join in the conversation, Eddie's eyes swept the room. He smiled when he saw Bev and Ben dancing in the middle of a crowd of people, Bev moving fluidly and Ben doing his best to keep up. His smile lasted only a moment though, when he caught sight of Richie in the corner. He was pressed against a boy, and the two were dancing lewdly together. 

Eddie tried, he really tried, not to care. His best friend was dancing with a boy. So what? It was really no big deal. In fact, Eddie should be happy for him. If it was Eddie in that position, Richie would high-five him and make some dumb joke about Eddie finally getting some. 

Eddie forced himself to look away after watching Richie grab the other boys and pull him closer. Eddie took a large swig of his drink and tried to think about anything, _anything _other than that.

-

An hour later, Eddie was feeling his buzz, and her had grown confident enough to leave his seat and make his way around the room. He talked to Ben for a little, even danced for a few minutes, then made his way to the bar to get another drink. What he didn't do was look at Richie. He didn't watch the way Richie's lips connected sloppily to the boy from earlier. He didn't fill with jealously and wish it with him instead. _No. _He definitely didn't do that.

At the bar, Eddie all but chugged another beer, wanting to take his buzz to the next level. He was tired of being whiny about Richie, tired of feeling like he was on an emotional rollercoaster every damn day. He just wanted to have some _fun._ Let loose a little. Stop being so in his head. 

Eddie was interrupted in his ruminations by a cute boy with floppy blonde hair who tapped lightly on his shoulder.

"Hey, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to dance?" the boy looked nervous, and Eddie found himself flattered. Rarely did someone come up and so forwardly initiate anything. 

"Oh, I'm not a great dancer," Eddie said, and the boy looked a little crestfallen. "But I'll try," Eddie offered quickly. 

"I'm Adam," the boy said. "I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you to dance all night." 

Eddie smiled. "I'm Eddie." Without thinking too much about it, Eddie grabbed Adam's hand and tugged him to the dance floor.

The pair began innocently enough, but when the music changed to something slower, more sultry and filled with slow bass, Eddie found himself pressed against Adam. It was hot, feeling him all over, their hands running over each other's bodies. When Eddie ground his hips backwards, he smiled at the chocked noise that came from behind him. 

_See, _Eddie could do this too. Richie could dance and make out with pretty boys and girls all he wanted, but so could Eddie. The annoying voice in Eddie's head that he had grown so used to whispered, _stop thinking about Richie._ So Eddie turned his head sideways to look up at Adam, knowing that their lips would meet. When they did, Eddie opened his mouth immediately, escalating the kiss and trying to drive away any other thoughts from his mind.

20 minutes later, the pair were still swaying to the music, Eddie smiling sweetly at Adam and pulling him in for another quick kiss. 

"You wanna get another drink?" Adam suggested, and Eddie nodded, holding his hand as they walked to the bar together. On the way, Eddie passed the table where Richie was now standing with Bill and Stan. Eddie pointed at Adam's back and gave a thumbs up and an eye waggle that he watched Bill and Stan laugh at. Eddie shifted his eyes to see Richie's reaction, but the tall boy was staring intently at his drink, muttering something to Stan.

Eddie turned back to follow behind Adam, but a few seconds later, Eddie was surprised to feel a tug on his arm in the opposite direction. It was Richie, and he looked just as surprised as Eddie to see himself holding Eddie's arm. His mouth opened and closed in a way that would be comical if it wasn't so confusing. Adam, noticing Eddie's pause, turned around. He gave the pair a once over and whispered that he'd get Eddie a drink and wait at the bar.

"What's wrong, Richie?" Eddie finally asked.

"Nothing, I just-" he struggled for words. "I was just wondering what the deal was with this guy?"

Eddie laughed, partly in shock and partly in pure amusement.

"Richie, can we do boy talk later? He's waiting for me at the bar." Eddie almost left it at that, but he couldn't stop himself. "Besides, where did your hot date go?" 

Did Eddie sound bitter? He was trying so hard to not sound bitter.

Richie rolled his eyes. "He's not a date, Eddie. I was just dancing."

"Looked like more than dancing."

"You're one to talk."

The tension shifted and suddenly the boys were glaring at each other.

"What, I can't hook up with a cute guy?"

"Can I?" Richie countered.

"I don't-" Eddie threw his arms in the air in frustration. "I don't care what you do, Richie!" 

Richie glared at Eddie for another moment, and then it was like a switch flipped and all the fight went out of him. His shoulders drooped and he instantly looked tired.

"What are we doing, Eddie?" Richie asked in a voice that Eddie had never heard from him before. It was soft and gentle and pleading and it was so out of place in this dirty, loud bar.

"What do you mean?" The fight had gone out of Eddie, too. He sounded almost breathless. Richie looked conflicted.

"Hey, Eddie!" Eddie turned his head at the interruption to see Adam waving from the bar, two drinks in front of him at the counter. Eddie gave a quick thumbs up.

"I gotta go Rich, I'll talk to you later." Eddie turned away, grateful he didn't have to think about the curiosity that was Richie Tozier.

-

The end of the night came quickly when Bill all but passed out in the bathroom and Mike and Stan had to drag him out together to get him home. It was almost 2 a.m. and the others were ready to leave, too. Adam and Eddie were still talking, but when Eddie saw his friends moving towards the exit with Bill in tow, he smiled and said, "It's been fun, but my friends are leaving so I'm gonna head home."

"Did you want to come back to my place instead?" Adam asked and Eddie, though he should have seen it coming, found himself surprised. He wondered about the question. Did he? Did he want to go home with Adam? He'd been having a nice night and Adam was sweet and cute. Their conversations had been easy going, if a little surface-level. But all in all, it had been nice.

Eddie looked once more at his friends. He caught Richie's gaze and Richie cocked his head sideways in a way that Eddie could only describe as puppy-like.

Eddie sighed.

"Honestly, I had a great time with you tonight, Adam, but I promised my friends I'd go home with them. Rain check?"

Adam smiled. "Sure, Eddie. Here's my number if you ever want it."

After saying their goodbyes, Eddie hustled out the door to catch up with the others, who really hadn't made it far, as Bill was still struggling to walk straight.

Eddie fell into pace next to Richie.

"Things didn't work out with lover boy?" Richie asked, though not accusingly. He sounded, if anything, mildly surprised. 

Eddie smiled. "He was nice, but I just wasn't feeling it tonight."

Richie smiled and looked forward as the pair continued walking, bringing up the rear of the pack.

"Oh, I get it. You're not into nice guys. You want a bad boy." Richie teased. "A guy that will really throw you around."

Eddie laughed and shoved Richie. Eddie was glad the weirdness from earlier wasn't there. They fell into comfortable silence until Eddie asked the question that was burning on his tongue. "What about you? That guy on the dance floor not your type?"

Richie smirked. "He was nice, I just wasn't feeling it tonight."

"Oh so you're also into bad boys, huh?"

Richie looked at Eddie curiously.

"Something like that."

-

It took a combined effort of all the friends to get Bill to his room. Once they had helped Bill to bed, set him up with some water and a trash can, and set some ibuprofen on his bedside stand, they dispersed to their own rooms. Ben told Eddie he was going to sleep in Bev's room for the night, and the pair walked away to her dorm, laughing as they left about some song at the bar. Mike, Richie, and Eddie walked to their floor together, the latter two engaged in a heated argument about the best meals that the dining hall served. Mike just shook his head and continued walking down the hallway, leaving the pair to keep arguing as they stopped at Eddie's room.

"Eddie, you're just flat out wrong."

"I am _not._"

"Are too."

"Am NOT."

"Are TOO."

"Oh god, shut up, Richie. I'm too drunk for this." Eddie moved to sit on his bed while Richie stood across from him on Ben's side of the room. 

"I like when you're drunk. You're more honest." Richie blurted out. 

That comment threw Eddie for a loop. For what felt like the thousandth time that week, the energy between them shifted.

"You think I lie when I'm sober?" The words were accusatory, but there was no force at all behind them. Eddie was tentatively seeing where the conversation went.

"Not always. Just-" Richie ran his hands threw his curly mop of hair, a sign of nervousness that Eddie recognized instantly. "I think sometimes you lie to yourself. About what you want."

Eddie's head was spinning. Sometimes talking with Richie felt getting whiplash over and over again. How did they go from a dumb argument to this entirely different conversation so quickly?.

He tried to think of a snarky response, but his brain just wasn't working right. Instead, he did an entirely un-Eddie thing and just stayed quiet.

Richie didn't say anything else for awhile either, but when Eddie looked back at him, he noticed that the boy was eyeing the spot next to him. Eddie almost imperceptibly nodded, giving him permission. Richie hopped onto the bed next to Eddie, and there was nothing new about this; this was their normal. But Eddie hadn't considered how it would feel to have Richie this close when he was feeling this buzzed and Richie was acting so weird. Eddie prayed his change in breathing was noticeable. 

Richie, in a moment of uncharacteristically earnest vulnerability, looked Eddie in the eyes. "You can tell me to shut up," he started, "but ever since the night we played truth or dare, I can't get what you said out of my head."

Oh god, Eddie couldn't breathe. Was Richie leaning closer? Eddie's mind couldn't even comprehend their proximity right now, let alone the way Richie's eyes were shifting from his eyes to his mouth.

Listen, Eddie wasn't an idiot. Objectively, he knew what was happening. He understood the hints Richie was giving off, and he understood how his body was responding. Eddie had been with enough guys to recognize the tension in the air. But this was _Richie_. And _that _is what Eddie couldn't comprehend. For years there had been a growing tension between them, though until now Eddie hadn't even let himself consider that it was more than one sided. In fact, most of the time Eddie spent pushing any feelings the crept up for Richie deep, _deep_ down. It was his ultimate secret, a source of acute embarrassment. Eddie loved Richie. God, he loved the stupid, frustrating boy. And he had decided long ago that he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his relationship with his best friend. He _couldn't._

But, oh my god, how was he supposed to resist the way that Richie was now leaning in even closer? 

When Richie closed his eyes and leaned in so close Eddie could feel his breath, Eddie stopped fighting. He ignored all the warning bells sounding in his ears. He ignored that stupid voice in his head telling him this was a bad idea. He ignored everything but the way Richie looked right now, right in this moment. It was scary, but it also felt like freedom, to close the gap between them and press his lips gently to Richie's. Richie immediately sighed, and pressed into the kiss, bringing his hand up to touch Eddie's cheek. 

For a moment, the kiss was gentle and soft, both boys signing into each other in what could only be described as relief. Then, it was like something snapped between the two of them and everything erupted into fire. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to stop in the middle. Another chapter coming soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If NSFW writing isn't your thing, you might want to skip this chapter.

The kiss was gentle for a moment, then something snapped between the two boys and it was like everything erupted into fire.

Eddie's mind was shocked beyond belief at the scene unfolding, but his body held no hesitations. So while his head screamed _this can't be happening, _his body screamed _more, more, more._ It was like a dam had broken, and Eddie could only take a back seat as his desire came flooding out. Within seconds Eddie was on top of Richie, and both boys desperately pulling at each other trying to get closer as the kissed again and again.

After what could have been hours or seconds, they parted to catch their breath. Eddie wasted no time pulling his shirt off, Richie following his lead quickly. They struggled out of the rest of their clothes until they were only in boxers, Eddie still on top of Richie. With the offending clothing out of the way, Richie promptly pulled Eddie back into a deep kiss, while Eddie's hands began to roam the body of the boy beneath him. It was hot and heavy and so, _so_ desperate.

When Richie sucked particularly harshly on Eddie's collarbone, Eddie instinctively ground his hips down, pulling a strangled whine from Richie. Eddie swore he had never heard anything hotter in his life, and he promptly pushed his hips down again to coax another moan from Richie's panting lips.

"Eddie," Richie gasped, his eyes rolling back. Eddie ground down even harder, his clothed cock sliding against Richie's straining bulge. Eddie picked up the pace, moving his body against Richie faster and faster, using the friction to soothe the growing ache inside of him.

"Holy shit." Richie whispered almost reverently, as he tugged Eddie's head back towards him to reconnect their mouths again. Richie swiftly slid his hand into Eddie's underwear, where he immediately wrapped around Eddie's straining length.

"Oh, _fuck_," Eddie swore, dipping his head into the crook of Richie's neck. Richie began to pump his hand slow and hard. "_Shit_, that feels so good, Rich."

Eddie felt like he was on fire, and every stroke of Richie's hand was making the room hotter and hotter. It was like Richie new exactly how to touch him, like Eddie had been doing it wrong his whole life because _this _was it, this was the only way. It was almost unbelievable, how good it felt, Richie's fingers wrapped tightly around him. And while Eddie might normally have been embarrassed by the sounds coming out of his mouth, he was far too wrapped up in pleasure to care.

After an embarrassingly short amount of time, Eddie thought he might explode right then in his boxers if he didn't slow things down.

"Richie -ah" Eddie gasped and grabbed Richie's hand. "You need to stop."

Immediately, Richie froze, looking up at Eddie with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'm - I was gonna - " Eddie flushed as he stumbled over his explanation, still catching his breath. Richie's look of concern switched to one of utter delight.

"Were you already gonna come?"

"Oh, shut up, asshole." Eddie mumbled. He shifted slightly off of Richie, but Richie immediately grabbed Eddie's thighs and put him back in his original position.

"Don't be embarrassed, dummy. That's like the hottest thing ever." Richie said earnestly.

Eddie rolled his eyes, but he couldn't contain the smile that slipped onto his face. Instead of answering Richie, he leaned in to kiss him again.

Eddie quickly moved away from Richie's lips, kissing down Richie's neck and continuing to shift his body lower. His mouth trailed over Richie's heaving chest, down his stomach, to the top of his boxers. As Eddie kissed Richie's hip bones his fingers toyed with the waistband, dipping under and pulling at the material slightly. When Eddie heard Richie's sharp intake of breath, he looked up to see Richie already nodding his head in approval. His eyes had darkened and he was looking at Eddie with a hungry lust, and as Eddie pulled the underwear down, he eyed Richie just as hungrily, taking his full naked body in for the first time.

Eddie was caught off guard by the sight of him. Richie's body was - well, it was _beautiful_. _He _was beautiful. 

Of course, Eddie refused to say those words out loud, lest they go straight to Richie's head. He could already see Richie's stupid smirk, hear his mocking voice, _"Eddie thinks I'm beauuuuutiful"_.

"Yoo-hoo, earth to Eddie." Richie's actual voice interrupted Eddie's thoughts, pulling him back to the moment. Richie then put on one of his thick, southern Voices, "This dick ain't gon' suck itself now, boy." He waggled his hips up towards Eddie.

Eddie groaned. "Don't you dare do a stupid Voice right now, I swear I'll stop."

"Fine, I'd just have to call your mom to ask her to finish what you-"

Eddie put his hand over Richie's mouth, preventing him from finishing his sentence. Richie struggled against Eddie's hand with a muffled, "Hey!"

"God, I should duck tape your mouth, Tozier. Think how much better the world would be."

Richie mumbled something into Eddie's hand, then huffed in frustration when it was clear he could not be understood. For a split second, Eddie saw Richie's face take on a devious look, then he felt Richie's tongue fully lick the inside of his palm.

"_Ew_, Richie!" Eddie screeched, pulling his hand away and wiping it on the bed sheets. "You're absolutely disgusting. Do you know how many germs are on the human hand. Or- or, in the human _mouth_. Oh god, I'm definitely going to catch something from you." 

Richie laughed in pure delight. "You weren't complaining about my mouth germs two minutes ago."

He was right, of course, which irritated Eddie. So instead of answering, Eddie simply grabbed the base of Richie's dick with his hand and squeezed tightly. Immediately, the smile was wiped off Richie's face and he sucked in a low breath. Eddie pumped him a few times, taking note of the way Richie's hands curled up and fisted the bed sheet, the way his hips quickly started to meet the strokes of Eddie's hand, the quiet moans falling from his lips.

Eddie smirked. "Well that's one way to get you to shut up."

"I swear I'll never talk again if you just - keep - doing _\- that_, _ohhh," _Richie moaned loudly as Eddie increased the pressure of his strokes.

"You know, somehow I doubt that." Eddie said, but Richie looked too caught up in pleasure to really hear him.

After a few minutes, Eddie experimentally lowered his head and sucked on the tip of Richie's dick.

"_Shit-_" Richie swore as his hips jerked upwards, pushing himself deeper into Eddie's mouth. "Fuck, sorry," He gasped, but Eddie only hummed contentedly, taking Richie even deeper into his mouth. Eddie quickly found his rhythm, sliding up and down as continual moans left Richie's mouth.

"Eddie, oh my god, _Eddie." _

The sounds coming out of Richie were enough to have Eddie painfully hard again, and after awhile he couldn't help but grind into Richie's thigh for some relief. When Richie noticed what Eddie was doing, he touched Eddie's shoulder, coaxing him back up to his lips. They kissed again, and somewhere in the middle Richie flipped himself on top of Eddie, reversing their positions. Richie took one look at Eddie laying beneath him and sighed. "God, I want to fuck you so bad."

The words went straight to Eddie's dick, and he actually moaned out loud, his hips lifting off of the bed and into Richie.

"Do it then," Eddie tried to sound challenging, but it came out as more of a whine.

Richie smiled, but shook his head. "Not tonight," 

"Please tell me you're not gonna stop now." Eddie though he might actually explode if he didn't come soon.

"Why? You need to come?" The taunting words words coming out of Richie were so much like Eddie's dreams that another wave of disbelief washed over Eddie. Could this whole night actually be real?

"Obviously," Eddie quipped breathily.

Richie laughed, though it sounded huskier than usual. "Do you want me to _make_ you come?"

"God, yes."

Richie made a sound of approval, then he leaned down to connect their mouths again. His arm snaked between their pressing bodies, and he grabbed Eddie's dick with his own, jerking both of them together. Both of their movements were feverish now, their kisses sloppier, their hips moving together wildly. Eddie's moans grew louder and louder as Richie continued to whisper encouragements in his ear. Precum leaked between them, making Eddie and Richie slide together as they both rutted into Richie's hand, chasing their orgasms.

It only took another minute or so before Eddie whined high and his hips stuttered. He came hard all over his own chest. 

"Fuck, Eddie. You're so hot." Richie's voice sounded wrecked.

As Eddie came down from his high, he blindly grabbed for where Richie's hand was still stroking himself, batting Richie away so he could take over. Eddie hardly knew what he was doing, but he stroked hard and fast.

"C'mon Rich, wanna see you come," he said, and seconds later Richie came with a cry all over Eddie's chest. Eddie pumped him through his orgasm, until Richie whimpered at the sensitivity. He immediately collapsed onto Eddie, breathing heavily.

Neither spoke as they caught their breath, and while the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, unspoken words hung in the room. Eddie could only take it for a few minutes before he finally broke.

"Alright, you need to get off of me because this is so gross. We're just sitting here in our filth."

Richie laughed. "I guess the moment can't last forever."

"What was I supposed to do, let it dry? That's disgusting."

Richie rolled over and Eddie scurried out of bed, grabbing tissues to clean himself off and throwing some at Richie.

"God, you're so high maintenance."

"Alright, asshole, sorry I'm not gross like you."

They fell back into their familiar banter as Eddie pulled his underwear back on. There was no real heat behind any of the insults, though, as both boys were clearly giddy from the events of the evening.

"On the contrary, I don't think any of what just happened was gross. I think it was hot as fuck." Richie said and Eddie blushed.

"Well, yeah. You know what I meant." 

Eddie climbed back into bed and laid next to Richie. Both boys stared at the cieling.

"So," Eddie said.

"So," Richie said.

They could hear each other's smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment and a Kudos if you are enjoying the story! Another chapter will be up within the next couple of days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been awhile. Here's a long chapter to make up for it.

“So,” Eddie said.

“So,” Richie said.

They could both hear each other’s smiles.

“Are we gonna talk about what just happened?” Eddie asked.

“You mean the crazy, mega-hot, mind blowing hook up of all hook ups, miracle of sexual proportions-”

Eddie slapped Richie’s arm, laughing. “Alright, alright. Yes, that.”

“Well, I-” Richie’s sentence was cut off again, this time by a knock at the door.

It was almost comical the way the two boys bounced away from each other, Richie scrambling to pull on his clothes and Eddie shifting so his body was as far away from Richie as he could get.

“Uh, Richie?” Mike’s voice came muffled from the other side of the door. The boys visibly relaxed, shooting sheepish glances at each other. “You still in there?”

“Yeah, hold on a second.” Richie climbed off Eddie’s bed to open the door, pulling on his shirt as he went. Eddie’s eyes scanned the room to see if there was anything that would give away what had just happened.

When Richie opened the door, Mike’s frustrated face came into view.

“What’s up?” Richie asked.

“I’ve called your phone like five times, what were you guys doing?”

Both Eddie and Richie stared open mouthed at Mike for a moment, neither knowing what to say, until Richie had the wherewithal to mumble something about having his phone on silent.

“Well there’s a guy waiting outside our room and he won’t leave so can you go deal with him so I can go to bed?”

“What?” Eddie and Richie said at the same time. Then Richie groaned and smacked his hand to his forehead.

“Oh, shit, yeah. Sorry, man, I’ll be there in a second.” Mike nodded and then turned away to walk back down the hall.

“Um, what?” Eddie said again before Richie could follow.

“I just gotta go take care of something really quick.”

“What guy?”

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll be back in five minutes.”

“What guy, Richie?” Eddie’s voice filled with irritation.

Richie ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “It’s just that guy from the bar. I forgot I told him earlier he could swing by my room if he was bored.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t your type?”

Richie just shrugged, “I mean, he’s not. I was just gonna-”

“What? Have sex with him?” Eddie’s voice went up an octave.

“I’m not anymore, Eddie. Calm down.”

“I am calm!” he said in a way that was definitely not calm. “I’m just a little curious about your plans for the evening. Kiss me and then go have sex with another guy?”

“Eddie,” Richie said exasperatedly. “Don’t be ridiculous. I just forgot I said that to him. Besides, I wasn’t planning on kissing you tonight.”

“Then why did you?” Eddie’s voice grew louder, more insistent.

“Cause, I thought you wanted me to! You _told_ me you wanted me to!”

“I was _drunk_!”

Richie threw his hands in the air. “Oh great, now we’re back to this.”

A small part of Eddie knew he was overreacting, but he couldn’t help the way his stomach kept twisting at the thought of that boy standing down the hall waiting for Richie. At the thought of Richie inviting that boy in, kissing him, doing everything he had just done to Eddie. It made him want to scream or cry or punch something. Or everything all at once.

“Get out, Richie.”

“Eddie-”

“No, get out. Go hang with that other guy.” It was immature, Eddie knew. But at this point he was on autopilot, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.

“Why are you freaking out? I was going to come back.”

“Richie,” he punctuated each word slowly. “I don’t want you here. Go.”

It was a lie, but in his anger, he didn’t care what he said. He just wanted to be alone to figure everything out. Richie, for the first time, looked genuinely hurt.

“Fine.” He slammed Eddie’s door shut.

Eddie stared at the door for minutes afterwards, seething in anger and embarrassment. As the anger began to fade, though, a myriad of emotions came pouring out of Eddie so fast he didn’t know where one ended and the other began. He couldn’t really believe the events of the evening; it all felt too fantastical. Then there were also the vivid memories of Richie that now haunted him: his voice whispering in Eddie’s ear, his mouth, his hands pressed everywhere, the way he knew exactly how to touch him. It was painful to think of, and Eddie rubbed at his eyes trying to get the images out of his head.

Not knowing how to begin to deal with everything he was feeling, Eddie shut off his bedside lamp, crawled under his covers, and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the way his bedsheets now smelled like Richie.

\--

Eddie found himself ignoring all of the Losers, or anything that might remind him of Richie. He went to class, ate off campus, stayed late in the library every night, and then promptly went to bed. His current routine was having incredible effects on his grades and he was suddenly significantly ahead in all of his classes. But Eddie wasn’t happy. And he missed his friends.

He knew ignoring everyone wasn’t helping anything, but he just wanted to be alone with all of his confusing thoughts. A lifetime of traumas left Eddie with a less than stellar way for coping with his feelings. He really did try to be objective. He knew he shouldn’t be mad at Richie, who hadn’t done a single thing wrong. But the thought of Richie with anyone, the thought that Richie could ever be with someone else, sent such a wave a grief through Eddie it almost took his breath away.

Eddie tried to remember when it started to be like this, so intense. He had been fighting his feelings for Richie for years, and it was like now that the floodgate was opened, Eddie couldn't stuff all of those feelings back inside of him like he was used to. And he knew he had to do it. Because if there was anyone in the world who could utterly destroy him, it was Richie. Especially now. And Eddie couldn't let that happen.

Eddie was pondering this all as he walked back to his room the following Thursday, almost a week after Eddie had kicked Richie out of his room. When he opened his door, Eddie startled when he realized he wasn’t alone, but that Ben, Bill, and Beverly were sitting and talking together. They immediately stopped when they saw Eddie.

“Eddie,” Bev said in her no-nonsense voice. “Why are you avoiding us?”

“I’m not,” Eddie mumbled, though it was so clearly a lie he couldn’t even bring himself to look in Bev’s direction as he spoke. When Bev didn’t respond, Eddie chanced a glance, only to find her shooting him a disapproving glare.

“Cut the crap, Kaspbrak.” She crossed her arms across her chest like a disappointed mother. “You’ve been ignoring our texts and calls and avoiding all of us on campus. What gives?”

“It’s just- I-I, well I-”Eddie struggled to explain.

“S-s-spit it out, Eddie,” Bill smiled as he spoke, shooting Eddie an encouraging wink. Eddie let out a laugh despite himself, feeling instantly lighter.

“I’m sorry guys,” Eddie tried to sound as genuine as he could. “I know I’ve been annoying. I’ve just had the weirdest week and I didn’t want to talk about it.” He threw his stuff down and walked over to where the others were sitting, bypassing his own bed to hop up next to Bev. She instantly pulled him into a side hug, running her hand up Eddie’s arm soothingly.

“We’re worried about you,” she said. “You’ve been so up and down lately.”

“I know,” Eddie sighed. “I don’t think I’m the best at handling my emotions.”

“No sh-shit,” Bill laughed.

Ben rolled his chair over to the edge of the bed. “Maybe if you tell us what’s wrong, we can help.”

Eddie felt a warm burst of love for his friends. He always seemed to forget how much he needed them, how much they wanted to help. He definitely didn’t deserve them.

“It’s Richie,” he began, pausing from the weight of saying his name. “We, um, fought. Or I fought. I don’t know, I overreacted after…” He trailed off, not knowing what all he should and shouldn’t say.

“You and Richie are…” Ben thought to himself for a moment before continuing. “Well, you’re _you and Richie_. The fighting isn’t really new. I’m sure you’ll make up.”

Eddie nodded, though he couldn’t help but think how different things were now. Ben was right, the two boys always made up, and honestly Eddie wasn’t really worried about that. What Eddie was scared of was what would happened after the fighting. What would they be? Were they supposed to keep hooking up? Were they supposed to be more? Eddie’s mind danced with possibilities that he had always hoped for, but now that the options were there, he couldn’t bring himself to go for it. He was terrified.

Bev saw the wheels turning in Eddie’s head. She patted his cheek lightly when he started to frown. “He’s your best friend, Eddie. It’s really as simple as that.”

Eddie was struck by the idea. Maybe it was that simple.

For years Eddie had tucked “more” away when it came to Richie, not wanting to torture himself, but especially not wanting it to interfere with his friendship. It was slightly painful, but it always worked. And Eddie really needed him and Richie to work again.

He was his best friend. It really was so simple.

His resolve solidified. “You’re right. I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“A-atta boy!” Bill clapped his hand on Eddie’s back. With a newfound energy, Eddie hopped off the bed and bounded towards the door. He was halfway out of the room before he turned back to his friends.

“Thanks guys, really.” Eddie smiled wholeheartedly as they shot him enthusiastic thumbs up.

\--

Richie was miserable. No, he was beyond miserable. He couldn’t sleep or eat or focus in any of his classes because of stupid Eddie Kaspbrak.

Eddie’s fiery personality had always been something Richie loved, how easy it was to push his buttons, how Eddie could match him quip for quip with his rapid-fire tongue, how pretty he looked all flushed with anger. But he didn’t enjoy it now, not when Eddie was ignoring him. The words Eddie had spoken repeated over and over in Richie’s head. _I don't want you here._ It was like a knife in his chest.

Fine. _Fine_. 

Richie’s ruminations were interrupted by a knock at his door, and he hated himself for how much he wanted it to be Eddie. He thought about ignoring it anyways, just to make a point, just to be able to sit in his own self-loathing for a while longer.

“Open up, Rich. It’s me.” Stan’s voice caught Richie off guard.

“Go away, I’m sick.”

“Bullshit.” Richie heard Stan mumble right before he heard the jingling of keys and an opening door.

“What the-” Richie sat up on his bed to see Stan’s devious smile as he held Mike’s keys in his hands.

“Mike let me borrow them to come talk some sense into you.”

Richie rolled his eyes.“What if I had been jerking off?”

Stan’s nose crinkled in disgust. “Beep, beep, Trashmouth. I don’t want to think about that.”

“Well, I want some privacy.”

“Well, I don’t care.” Stan stared Richie down, challenging him to keep arguing. Richie finally gave in and sighed.

“Alright, what do you want?” His voice came out harsher than he meant it to. The lack of sleep made him on edge, and he had been snapping at people all week.

“I want you to stop being an asshole,” Stan glared. “But since I doubt that will happen, I want you to listen to me.” Richie had the decency to shoot a quick apologetic glance at Stan. He really didn’t deserve to be the brunt of Richie’s bad mood.

“I don’t know what went down with you and Eddie, but whatever it was, you need to deal with it. And by deal with it, I mean fix it. Now.” Stan’s voice rang out with an authority that surprised Richie. When Richie looked over and caught Stan’s eye, he watched the disappointment in the curly-headed boy’s face soften slightly. Richie suddenly had the overwhelming urge to confess to everything, to just blurt it all out. He rubbed his tired eyes with his hands trying to figure out what to say.

“I don’t know what to do, Stan. Eddie is killing me.”

Stan smiled knowingly at Richie, then rolled his eyes.

“You both are so dramatic.”

Richie huffed out a laugh, but it caught in his throat when Eddie's words punched their way back into his mind. _I don’t want you here_.

Before Richie could say anything else, a light tap at the door drew the gaze of both boys.

“Uh, was there a second part to this pep talk party?” Richie asked and Stan shook his head, looking just as confused.

“Richie?” Eddie’s voice came through the door. Richie’s stomach instantly tightened.

Stan took the liberty of walking over and opening the door before Richie could stop him.

“Eddie! Hi! Come in,” Stan ushered him into the room before Eddie could get another word out. Stan then promptly walked out of the room, calling out as he shut the door between them, “I love you both, but you’re idiots. Fix it!” The door clicked shut, leaving Eddie and Richie alone.

It was silent for a moment, both boys staring at each other in shock as if they couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“Did Stan just say he loved me?” Richie whispered incredulously. Eddie laughed and nodded.

“And I wasn’t recording it or anything.” Richie threw his hands in the air. “No one will ever believe me.”

“I was here, and I don’t even believe it,” Eddie giggled again.

For a moment there was nothing but the two of them together again. They settled into their laughter the way an old man settles into his favorite recliner; effortlessly, like two people finally home.

When it got quiet again, Eddie cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry for overreacting the other night,” he said.

“Eds-” Richie breathed out. “You don’t have to be sorry.”

“Yes, I do. I was being a brat.”

“You mean,” Richie raised his eyes in mock seriousness, “You were being Eddie Kasp-brat.”

“Oh my god, could you not make stupid ass jokes while I’m trying to apologize?” But Eddie was laughing again and Richie was smiling fondly at the boy. He hadn't realized how much he had missed this.

But soon Eddie’s laughter faded, and Richie watched a series of flitting emotions pass through Eddie’s face.

“Richie, you’re my best friend,” Eddie said simply.

“Yes,” Richie drew the word out, surprised. “And?”

“And we shouldn’t keep hurting each other. It’s not good for us.”

“Okay, Eddie what do you – “

Eddie cut him off. “We work as best friends. Even when we fight, we work. And I can’t risk that. I’ve been pouring over it all week. I want-” Eddie paused.

“What? What do you want?” Richie hated the way he sounded like he was begging.

“I need us to be friends. I need you, Richie.”

Yes, yes. He needed Eddie, too. A flush of excitement filtered through his body and he suddenly had to be closer, the few feet between them feeling like a chasm. But before Richie could move, Eddie spoke again.

“That’s why I think we should just be friends.” Eddie said, looking everywhere but Richie’s face. The air knocked right out of Richie’s chest.

_What?_

Eddie kept talking, though Richie was struggling to understand him as he spoke so quickly.

“What happened the other night, it was good. But we can’t. I can’t. It’ll ruin everything.” Eddie looked as pained as Richie felt. He reached out to touch the taller boy’s shoulder, frowning when he saw Richie jerk slightly away from his hand.

“Best friends. Always. Right, Rich?” Eddie now looked desperate.

Richie couldn’t think straight. Eddie needed him. _Needed_ him.

Just not in the way he-

Oh, fuck.

“Of course, Spaghetti.” Richie tried to control his voice. He forced his face into a mask, refusing to let Eddie see what he was actually feeling. “Best friends always. Even when you’re a brat.” He tried to laugh. It came out kind of choked.


End file.
